John stow and harry barton cross



J. STOW AND H. B.'CROSS. SLIDING DOOR FOR CASES, CUPBOARDS, AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4. 1917.

1,303,984. Patented May 20, 1919.

//V V 54/ T035. 57171 Stow, A? wy Barton Cross 44mm, Midi, A17 i JOHN STOW AND HARRY BARTON GROSS, OF BRADFORD, ENGLAND.

snrome noon FOB, CASES, cureoni'tns, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 20, 1919.

Application filed September 4, 1917. Serial No. 189,585.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN Slow and HARRY BARTON CRoss, subjects of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Albert House, 38 Harrogate road, Eccleshill, Bradford, in the county of York, Eng

land, and 16 Southey Place, Bradford, in the said county, England, respectively, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sliding Doors for Cases, Cupboards, and the like, of which the following is, a specification. Y

This invention relates to improvements in sliding doors for cases, cup-boards, shop-fitting entrances, and thelike. Our object is to arrange and construct sliding doors in such a manner that when they are closed they are rendered air tight. and furtherthat when adjacent doors are closed they will be in alinement.

Hitherto it has been found diflicult, if not impossible, to make sliding doors air tight, and consequently dust-tight, when closed; although we are aware that attempts have been made to overcome such difficulty by arranging doors to slide one in front of the other. Such doors however are not usually in alinement or in the same plane .when closed. Inzsome cases a brush device has been attached to the rear face ofthe door to endeavor to overcome the dust nuisance.

According to our invention we arrange the doors in such wise that when closed they are air tight and dust-tight and are in alinement, and either of'two adjacent doors may be opened to move in 'front of the other, there being one track or groove which is common tov both doors.

In describing our invention in detail reference is made to the accompanying sheet of drawings, similar letters indicating similar parts in which v Figure l represents a part elevation of doors fitted according to our improvement.

Fig. 2 represents a section showing one door in the closed position with another in front thereof.

Fig. 3represents a plan view of the upper a r 'Fig. 4 is a plan View of the lower track and doors and v v Figs. '5 and 6 represent details hereinafter referredto.

In carrying out our invention the sliding doorsD are constructed of any suitable material such as wood, metal or a suitable frame and glass. The doors are by preference mounted in a framework D, each door having on its lower edge suitable runners such as R (Figs. 1 and 2) and such runners are adapted to run on a suitable track P (Figs. 2 and 4). In addition to the runners or wheels R ball bearings or the like, studs A A are mounted on the door say one at or toward the bottom left hand corner of the left hand door and another a little distance to the left of the right hand bottom corner. The arrangement of studs being reversed for the right hand door. In the example illustrated the studs are to the rear of the doors. Thesestuds carry what we termtrackers T T (Figs. 1, 2, and 4,) adapted to run horizontally in a groove, path or track P formed in or arranged in connection with the lower framework of the opening which the door is to close. This path P is of such a nature as to guide say the right hand door in front of the left and vice versa, there being but one single track in front of and serving both doors.

In the top of each door there will also be mounted roller studs T to run in an upper track P but the'position of these studs may vary from that. of the bottom ones. The paths P P are straight along the front of the doors for the major portion, and sloping backward toward the doors to slightly behind same at the two ends as shown at 1? (Figs. 3 and 4).

Tofacilitate removal of a door for clean-- ing or repair purposes, the upper runners orrollers T will project upward in a'line with the center of the door into the path P and apertures or recesses 0 (Fig. 2) at suitable. places in the track may be pro- .Vided into. which the rollers T may take or enter when the door is lifted to clear the trackers T T .from their path.

Seeing that the trackers T T are at the rear or inner sides of the doors when the doors are closed the trackersv T that is those nearestthe handle edges of the doors will rest in recesses cut in the lower framework of the door openings,fsuch recesses P communicating with the path P. Similarly recesses P will be cut back from the upper path P for the reception of those upper trackers or rollers T which are nearest the handle edges of the doors.

The center style D between each pair of doors may be of any desired width it not" being necessary for the adjacent edges of a pair of doors to meet.

When the doors are closed, in the preferred form their inner faces toward their outer edges on 3 sides will be in contact with rubber, flexible, or other suitable beading B mounted in the framework of the door opening. On the fourth side the edge of the door will make contact with the beading B as will be seen from the drawings;

In the. form shown the upper and lower beadings are made adjustable by being mounted in a beading carrier B securedv in place by screws 13 or otherwise to allow for adjustment by altering the position of the screws and beading carrier (Fig.2). This construction enables a recess to be formed under the heading carrier B in which the trackers T are housed when the door is closed and so not affect the air tightness of the-cupboard or case or like. 7

In some cases howevera rubber or flexible V beading may be replacedby a rounded solid beading to enter a rounded recess in the door frame Or vice versa. 7

Any suitable handle such for example as H will be'arranged in the doors in such wise that its bolt or nose H will clip into or engage-a nose or recess in the center stile D and insure that the doors are drawn tight home against their beading when they are closed and latched. This handle being one that is lifted up to disengage and pressed down to engage. The arrangement of sliding doors and track hereinbefore described permits of the use of a projecting handle, projecting of course Within limits of the space formed between a closed door and one open in front of it. This is a feature not common to doors made-to slide one in front of the other hitherto known. 7

-When the doors are closed their trackers will rest, in their tracks or grooves or recesses P P P and P To open a door its handle catch is released, the door pulled out until the trackers can come no farther out owing to the edge of the paths P P, the

rear rollers or trackers acting as pivots. The door is then moved to the left or right as the case may be and, is guided by the trackers in the paths P P the runners R before mentioned running on the solid track Pto the front of the path or groove P.

The top rollers or trackers will follow a similar path until when the door is completely open it will rest in front of the closed one, the position of each front tracker T being such that when the door is fully open the said tracker will not havepassed into the curved or inclined portion P of the path P. Similarly with the bottom rollers. j I In order'that, when pulling the door'forward to open,there will beno'undue j'ar or strain on the door, horizontal rollers G are formed by preference in connection with the tracker stud's' A to roll over'tlie raised portion of the door opening framework until the runners R reach the'tra'ck P, this device also serves to take away any cross strain from them. The rollers C are locatedat opposite sides of theintermediate branches "P of the longitudinal groove When the doors are closed, and the. innerhorizonta'l wheels or'tractors have been moved 1nto said branch grooves P and they support the doors when the inner vertical wheels are over the branch. I

grooves. 7

It is not however essential to place the trackers at the rear of the doors, they may be in front and under each end of the door. In this case the track or path P will be bifurcated at each end,- there being the one straight track along the entire front of both doors wlth the inclined or curved portion P as above described and shown.

In- Figs. 3 and 4 the doors are shown in their closed position by full lines, the left hand'door is shown-by dotted linesdrawn out after the handle has been released from the stileand the door can now 'be moved along to the right. The-dash and dot lines parallel with the closed door show the posi- I tion of the right hand door when'moved along the track in front'of the left hand door.

We may vary the arrangement of the grooves slightly and may arrange the flexible beading to meet the face of the -door in some directions, and the edge in others.

The doors will runeasily, and when closed Will be air-tight and adjacent pairs of doors will vbe in alinement. The form of handle and catch thereon to engage the door stile may vary, and there is no obje'ctionto a projecting handle'within limits, so long as the locking action insures the'door being drawn n its rubber or other fiexi-ble'beading, 555

We prefer to use several'balls or small wheels in the door base to act as bearings and such balls or wheels may be contained in separate casings'to insure that when crossing the runner groove whentherunners grooves extending inwardly at right angles to the longitudinal groove, a pair of sliding doorshaving vertical wheels to. run on the track and'horizontal wheels to operate in the said grooves. said horizontal wheels be ing received within the v terminals'of the grooves and in the said branch grooves when names to this specification in thepresence of the doors are closed, and rollers carried by two subscribmg wltnesses. V

the doors and located at opposite sides of JOHN STOW. the branch grooves and sup-porting the doors HARRY BARTON CROSS. 5 in their closed positions and when the same Witnesses:

are moved inwardly and outwardly. CLIVE WAUGH,

In testimony whereof we have signed our MARY NORAH WALTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0." 

